Balance wheel roller remover



Aug. 24, 1954 E. s. scHMELzr-:R

BALANCE WHEEL ROLLER REMOVER Filed Nov. 5, 1951 dwalzleolgefdlm `ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 24, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,687,053 i BALANCE WHEEL ROLLER REMO-VER Edward George Schmelzer, Oberlin, Kans. Application November 5, 1951, Serial No. 254,838

(ci. :s1- 6) l 3 Claims. l

This invention is a balance wheel roller remover for use in connection with the removal of the roller from the balance staff of watches of various sizes, clocks and the like.

As is well known, in Watch and clock structure the balance wheel is provided with a balance staff having a disk or roller mounted thereon and it frequently becomes necessary to remove the roller from the balance staff. The primary object of the present invention is to provide a clevice wherein operations of this character may be easily, quickly and effectively carried out with the minimum of opportunityfor damage to the balance staii or the balance wheel in removing` the roller.`

A further object of the invention is to provide a remover of the character stated which automatically adjusts itself to balance wheels of different sizes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a roller abstractor ofthe character stated wherein the balance wheel is so supported as to permit of theroller removing operations by simplified means, and wherein the balance Wheel may be easily and quickly applied to the support and with equal facility may be removed therefrom.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novelconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts,

all as will be more fully described hereinafter,

illustrated in the drawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a balance wheel roller removing device embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken substantially upon line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the device as shown in Fig. 2.

The balance wheel remover of my invention includes means wherebythe holder is supported in place for convenient operation of a punch and in a manner well known to those having knowledge of the art. To this end, the support for the balance wheel remover includes a base 5 from the lower end of which and centrally with respect thereto is a hollow post 6 to be seated in the support. The base 5 has `a flat elongated upper surface or platform as shown, upon which are slidably arranged balance wheel supporting jaws indicated at l. These jaws rise from heads 8 which slidably rest upon the upper surface of r platform are clamp arms I5.

the platform 5 and are confined in this sliding movement between spaced parallel guide arms 9 formed integral with the platform or base 5. The upper extremities of the jaws 'l are notched or recessed as at IU in order to firmly engage with the balance staff of a balance wheel resting upon the upper ends of the jaws. The notches I0, when the jaws are in clamping position, will vertically align with the central opening II in the post 6.

Each of the heads 8 is provided with a longitudinally disposed bore or recess l2, the said recesses opening into the heads from the adjacent faces thereof, and an expansion spring I3 has its ends Seated in each of the bores or recesses. A guide pin I4 is disposed Within the coiled expansion spring I3 to prevent the latter from snarling. It is thus seen that the expansion spring I3 tends normally to force the heads 8 and the jaws l thereof apart or in separated relationship.

Projecting from one side of the platform or base 5 is a support I5, constituting a flat platform as shown. Swingingly mounted for movement in a horizontal plane upon the support or Each of the said arms has a loop I 'I at one end for pivotal engagement upon their respectivesupporting posts IS rising from the supporting or platform I5 near the opposite ends thereof. These clamp arms are so shaped as to extend around the heads 8 and in engaging position therewith and are inwardly bent at their ends, as shown particularly in Figs. l and 3 so as to be in overlapping relationship beyond one side of the support. The extreme inner ends of the clamp arms are upbent as shown particularly in Figs. l and 2 to provide posts I9, to which are connected the ends of a compression spring 2D. It will be observed, particularly with reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings, that the posts I9 are disposed between the pivot posts I3 and the sliding jaws so that normally the compression spring 20 exerts pressure upon the clamp arm IG inwardly of the support so that the said clamp arms will engage the sliding heads I8 and force the same together in clamping relationship, To this end, it is obvious that the compression spring will possess suflcient strength to overcome the tension of the expansion spring I3 which normally tends to separate the clamp arms.

When it is desired to apply a balance wheel to the roller remover, the post 6 is firmly seated in a proper support, whereupon the clamping arms I6 are moved to head disengaging position, or in 3 the position indicated by dot and dash lines in Fig. 1. When moved to this position, it will be seen that the posts i9 will have passed dead center with the supporting pivot posts I8, whereupon the compression spring 29 will maintain 4the arms in disengaged position as shown by dash and dot lines in Fig. 1. The jaws of the holder being thus free, the expansion spring I3 will force the heads 2 to the limit of their outward movement, with the jaws 'l in separated or spaced relationship. The balance wheel to be repaired is then placed upon the upper ends of the jaws with, the balance staff disposed downwardly between the said jaws. The clamp arms iii are then moved to operative position as shown in Fig. 1,

forcing the heads 8 together against tension of' expansion spring I3 and with the upper ends'oi the jaws "l firmly engaged upon opposite sides of the balance wheel staff. It will be understood that the compression spring 20 will be suiiiciently strong to maintain the heads 8 and their attached jaws 'i in tight engagement with the work, through the instrumentality of the clamp arms From the foregoing it is obvious that I have provided means of extremely simple nature for properly supporting the balance wheels in proper position to be operated upon in the removal of the roller from the balance staii, the construction and arrangement being such that rollers or,l balance wheels of various sizes may be automatically accommodated and properly supported for the removal operation.

I claim:

1. Ina balance wheel remover, la supporting post, a platform carried by said post, a pair of jaw heads slidable upon said platform toward or away from one another, an expansion spring inte-rposed between said heads to normally hold the latter inseparated position, a pair of pivots rising from said platform to one side of said heads and in spaced relationship, a clamp arm pivoted at one end to -each of said posts and extending forwardly into engagement with their adjacent heads, and a contractile spring connecting said arms and normally forcing the same toward one another into engagement with said heads, said contractile spring possessing tensile strength in excess of the strength of said eX- pansion spring.

2. In a balance wheel remover, a platform, a pair of jaws mounted on said platform for sliding movement with respect to one another, spring means tending normally to maintain said jaws in spaced apart position, a pair of arms pivoted at one end in spaced relationship to one another on said platform and having portions engaged respectively with the outer ends of said jaws, upstanding posts at the inner ends of said arms andoiiset from the pivots thereof, a contractile spring connecting said posts, and said contractile spring possessing tensile strength exceeding the tensile strength of said spring means.

3. In a balanceiwheel remover, av platform, a pair of balance wheel supporting jaws mounted on said platform for sliding movement toward and away from each other, an expansion spring tending normally to force said jawsA apart, an arm pivoted at one end near each end of said platform, said arms having portions engaged with the outer ends of their adjacent jaws, a contractile spring connecting said arms for forcing the same against said jaws to move the latter toward one another, and'said contractile spring possessing tensile strength in excess ofY the strength of the said expansion spring.

References Cited in the file of thislpatent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 528,968 Peabody Nov. 13, 1894 1,236,849 Lesser Aug. 14, 1917 1,862,858 Lyon June 14, 1932 1,941,756 Putnam Jan. 2, 1934 2,178,296 Argo Oct. 31, 1939 

